One thing on everyone’s wish list: a toned stomach. Well-defined abdominal muscles are glorified as being sexy, healthy and youthful. You may have seen one once-the rare person who seems to know the “secrets” of perfect abs. Does he know something that you don’t? Is it possible for you, a regular person, to achieve the abs of your dreams?

But first, it’s important to understand the anatomy of the rectus abdominis. They run down the front of the torso, from the center of the ribcage to the pubic bone. The fact that the word “abs” appears to be plural doesn’t help this case. But in fact, it is one long sheet of muscle that just happens center, giving it that SIX pack appearance to look like several small muscles.

Whether you are just starting an exercise program, or you have been at it for years, there is

When it comes to training for abs of steel, here’s what you need to know:

Burn fat. You may be surprised to know that most people actually DO have strong, defined abs…they just happen to be covered by a layer of fat. This is because the abs are actually involved in balance and stabilization during all kinds of every day movements and exercises. All the crunches in the world won’t burn the fat on top of the muscle. To accomplish this, you need a combination of regular aerobic exercise and a healthy diet to create a caloric deficit necessary to lose weight.

Don’t crash diet. Some people will swear that a key to their flat abs is what they eat-or don’t eat. Whether they omit dairy, milk, wheat, sugar, or something else, you do not have to drastically change your diet to lose the belly bulge. Simple, healthy eating habits will help you drop excess weight from all over the body.

Be realistic. For visible abdominal definition, your body fat percentage has to be pretty low-that’s about 8 percent body fat for men, and 14 percent body fat for women. To put this in perspective, “healthy” ranges of body fat are 14%-17% for men and 21%-24% for women. It may be impossible for some people to reach such low percentages without going to extreme measures.

Train the abs like you would any other muscle. You should strength train all of your major muscle groups, which typically involves 1-3 sets of 8-15 repetitions per exercise. There is no need to do 50, 100 or thousands of crunches each day. In fact, if you are doing your exercises correctly, 8-15 repetitions are all that you need to feel the muscles working and get results. The key is to focus on your form, by deeply engaging your abs throughout each movement. This is commonly described as “pulling your naval towards your spine,” or “scooping” the abs inward and it will help you engage more muscle fibers making each repetition more effective.